Table ** Contents
1. Socio-political context ..................................................................................................................... 3 feminism ......................................................................................................................................... 3 the ***** of feminism .................................................................................................................... 3 a comparison of radical, socialist, liberal, and cultural femisim. .................................................... 5 socialist feminism ............................................................................................................................ 6 **** period: the 1980s .................................................................................................................... 7 second-**** feminism ................................................................................................................... 7 conservative ******** ..................................................................................................................... 7 rise ** postmodernism .................................................................................................................... 7 intersectionality .............................................................................................................................. 7 setting ............................................................................................................................................. 7 the ******** era .............................................................................................................................. 8 ******** thatcher ........................................................................................................................... 8 thatcherism ..................................................................................................................................... 8 class struggles ............................................................................................................................... 10 changing ********* dynamics ...................................................................................................... 11 2. Theatrical influences ..................................................................................................................... 11 brecht’s epic theatre ..................................................................................................................... 12 surrealism ...................................................................................................................................... 14 absurdism ...................................................................................................................................... 15 feminist theatre ............................................................................................................................ 15 ********** drama ............................................................................................................................ 16 ******* - social realism: ................................................................................................................. 16 postmodernism ............................................................................................................................. 17 3. Playwright’s intention ................................................................................................................... 17 ******** critique ............................................................................................................................ 18 ************* *********** ............................................................................................................. 18 theatrical innovation ..................................................................................................................... 19 ********* identity and authenticity ............................................................................................... 19
4. Genre & style ................................................................................................................................ 20 postmodernism ................................................................................................................................. 20 ********* of a master narrative ..................................................................................................... 21 deconstruction: ............................................................................................................................. 21 pastiche: ........................................................................................................................................ 22 ***** of *** author: ...................................................................................................................... 23 ********** / non-linear narratives: ............................................................................................. 23
5. Structure: ...................................................................................................................................... 24 ************** monologues: ........................................................................................................ 26
6. Plot ................................................................................................................................................ 27 act *** .......................................................................................................................................... 27 act *** .......................................................................................................................................... 29 act three ........................................................................................................................................ 32
7. Language ....................................................................................................................................... 33
8. ******* ........................................................................................................................................... 36 ***** and set: flexible ................................................................................................................... 36 props: representative props ......................................................................................................... 36 costumes: ****** and character-driven ........................................................................................ 36 lighting: ......................................................................................................................................... 37
9. Characters ..................................................................................................................................... 37 act 1: the dinner party .................................................................................................................. 38 act 2: joyce’s home / marlene’s office .......................................................................................... 44 the interviews ............................................................................................................................... 45 10. Symbols ..................................................................................................................................... 47 angie’s dress .................................................................................................................................. 47 clothing ......................................................................................................................................... 47
11. Themes ...................................................................................................................................... 48 power, success, *** ************* ................................................................................................ 48 sisterhood *** solidarity............................................................................................................... 49 women’s stories and identity ........................................................................................................ 50 class and social mobility ................................................................................................................ 51 **** under the ********** ............................................................................................................... 51 ********** .................................................................................................................................. 52
12. Relevance .................................................................................................................................. 53
13. ********** ................................................................................................................................ 54
Feminism ** a social and political movement ********** for the equal rights, opportunities, *** treatment ** all genders, **** a focus ** *********** and dismantling systems of oppression and discrimination b3ased on gender.
As society has evolved, the fight for equal ****** has as well. The ********* ***** ** feminism have each had ***** own goals and ideals.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/ The waves of feminism
proxy/MER3Sw5I17JzyylJLyj8Tu_o-
***** Wave ******** (**** 19th to Early 20th Century):
***** Wave Feminism ******* primarily on securing legal rights and suffrage (voting rights) for women. Key events include the ****** Falls Convention in 1848, which ******** equal ****** for women, and *** suffrage movements ** ******* countries that *** ** women gaining the right ** vote. The First Wave also addressed issues such as property rights, ************ rights, and access ** education.
|
the formation of various feminist organizations *** campaigns for equal rights.
|
https://www.thoughtco.com/thmb/s7rGF00TNhgElbc5JfL3TSA13qw=/ 1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages- 174007370-58b886035f9b58af5c2a32d6.jpg
|
|
Third Wave ******** (1990s to Early 2000s): |
|
Second Wave Feminism (196** to 1980s):i
Second Wave Feminism expanded the focus ****** legal rights to address social, cultural, and economic inequalities. This wave emphasized issues such as reproductive rights, workplace discrimination, sexual liberation, and ****** roles. Key ****** include the publication of ***** Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique" in 1963, which sparked the modern feminist movement, as **** as
***** **** Feminism sought to address the limitations and critiques of *** Second Wave, including its **** of ***************** and inclusivity. **** wave focused ** embracing diversity, *********** gender norms, *** amplifying the voices of marginalized groups ****** the ******** movement, including women of colour, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities. Key themes include intersectionality, body positivity, sex positivity, and *********** https://blog.ipleaders.in/wp-
through individual expression. content/uploads/2021/01/1_QVYcwX2v_28Ot91ZJ-FAFw.jpeg
Fourth Wave ******** (Early 2010s ** Present):
****** **** ******** builds **** the ************ and critiques of previous ***** ***** ********* digital technologies and social media platforms to organize, mobilize, and amplify ******** activism and discourse.
This wave ********* issues such as online harassment, ************ justice, environmental feminism, and global solidarity. Key events include movements **** #***** *** #TimesUp, which have *********** *** ********** of sexual harassment and assault while advocating for accountability and ******** changes.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.harvard.edu%2Fgazette%2Fstory%2F2020%2F01%2Fplay-dramatizes-steinems-role-
in-the-feminist-
|
In 1977 the bestselling book Superwoman (Shirley Conran) *** published. Superwoman ******* that the modern, liberated woman could have it all: a handsome husband, a ****** family, an ********* house, a lucrative job, a fulfilling career and a sensational sex life. **** her new computer *** university degree, a superwoman could fight discrimination and **** her way to the top. This confidence is reinforced by Joyce’s sarcastic words in *** final scene of Top Girls, “You’ll be on a yacht, you’** ** **** ** Coca-Cola and *** wait, the eighties is going to be stupendous all right.” https://www.amazon.co.uk/Superwoman-Every-Womans-HouseholdManagement/dp/0140042180 |
A comparison of Radical, Socialist, Liberal, and Cultural Feminism:
|
Aspect |
Radical Feminism |
Cultural Feminism |
Liberal Feminism |
********* Feminism |
|
**** Beliefs |
- ***** to dismantle patriarchal ********** *** challenge societal norms that ******* women.
- Views patriarchy as *** root cause ** women's oppression. |
- ********** the importance ** ******** ********* and representations in challenging ****** inequality.
- Advocates for *** recognition and celebration of women's ******* cultural identities and experiences. |
- ******* ** achieving gender equality through ***** and political reforms, such ** equal rights, reproductive rights, and workplace equality.
- Seeks ** address gender disparities ****** *** framework of ******* ********* and capitalism.
- Values individualism, autonomy, *** personal |
- Advocates for the liberation ** ***** ****** *** context ** broader socioeconomic and political systems.
- Believes **** women's liberation ** intertwined with the broader struggle for ******** and ****** justice for all ******* of society. |
|
Approach to Change |
- ****** radical, transformative ****** through revolutionary means, such as direct action and ********** organizing. |
- Emphasizes consciousness raising and cultural interventions to challenge dominant narratives and norms.
- Values education, art, and media as tools for social change. |
choice, ******* ** remove legal and social barriers to women's full participation ** society.
- Often ******* ** ********* existing institutions and systems to achieve ****** equality, rather **** ******* to fundamentally ********* them.
- Tends ** prioritize incremental change and working within ******** political structures. |
- Advocates *** collective action and the redistribution of wealth and ********* ** create a more equitable society for all.
- Critiques capitalism as inherently oppressive *** exploitative, and advocates for socialist policies such as ********* healthcare, education, and housing. |
|
Key Figures and Works |
- Simone ** Beauvoir, "The Second Sex"
- Shulamith Firestone, "The Dialectic of Sex"
- ****** Dworkin, "Intercourse"
- Angela Davis, "Women, Race & Class" |
- bell hooks, "Ain't I a Woman?"
- Audre Lorde, "Sister Outsider"
- ****** Anzaldúa, "Borderlands/La Frontera"
- Judith Butler, "Gender Trouble" |
- Betty Friedan, "The ******** Mystique"
- Mary Wollstonecraft, "A *********** of *** Rights ** Woman"
- Simone de Beauvoir, "The Second Sex" |
- Silvia Federici, "Caliban and the Witch"
- ****** Davis, "Women, Race & Class"
- Nancy Fraser, "Fortunes of Feminism"
- Barbara Ehrenreich, "The ****** of Men" |
Socialist feminism combines the ideas of socialism *** feminism, ******* that liberation *** only be achieved by working ** end both the economic *** cultural ******* of women's oppression. Socialist ********* criticise the traditional Marxist **** for its focus on class conflict without ****** *** ********* ** gender-based oppression.
In Top Girls, ******* ******** ** socialist feminism can ** found. The play ******** a critique of *** capitalist system and its impact ** women of different classes.
Marlene's success in *** corporate ***** ** contrasted with the struggles of her working-***** sister, Joyce. This disparity in their experiences suggests a ******** of a ******** that seeks ********** *********** within the ******* system, ****** than challenging the
system itself. https://time.com/4008060/women-strike-equality-1970/
The play ******** the dual burden faced by ***** - ** workers ** the public sphere, and ** unpaid laborers ** the private sphere (caring for children, *********** a home). **** is a key concern of socialist feminism.
In the final act, *** heated conversation ******* ******* and Joyce ******** differing ***** on work, class, *** feminism **** echo the debates within socialist feminism. Joyce criticizes Marlene's individualistic ******** to success, while ******* argues **** anyone can succeed if **** work **** enough, ignoring the systemic barriers that *** limit opportunities *** women, particularly workingclass women.
So while Top Girls doesn't explicitly align itself with socialist feminism, ** certainly explores many ** *** themes *** ideas that are central to this perspective.
The 1980s were a ******* time period *** ******** plays, marked by *********** socio-political shifts *** the emergence of a ******* feminist movement. Several factors contribute to the importance of this era for feminist plays.
*** 198** saw the continuation of the second-wave feminist movement, which began in the 1960s *** focused on issues such ** reproductive rights, ********* equality, and gender roles. Feminist ********* and writers ********** patriarchal structures and ****** for women's rights across ******* spheres ** society. Top Girls ******* in this context, ********** *** ongoing ******* and ********* within feminism.
Despite the ***** made ** feminists in the preceding decades, the 1980s also witnessed a ************ backlash ******* feminism and progressive social movements. The ******** ** conservative leaders such as ******** Thatcher ** *** UK and ****** Reagan ** the US signalled a shift ******* more conservative ****** and economic policies and a ******** ** social ******* programs. This political climate heightened tensions around ****** of gender and class, ********* a backdrop for ***** like Top Girls to critique prevailing power structures.
The 1980s *** the **** of Postmodernism as a ******** cultural *** ************ force.
Postmodernism’s questioning of grand narratives aimed to challenge traditional ******* ** identity, truth, and history. Plays **** Top Girls ******** postmodern techniques such as fragmentation, pastiche, and intertextuality to deconstruct dominant discourses and offer alternative perspectives on gender *** society.
******** discourse in *** 1980s increasingly recognized *** importance ** intersectionality, the interconnected nature ** ****** identities such ** gender, race, class, and sexuality. Plays like *** Girls explored the complexities of intersectional ******** by featuring diverse female characters **** ********* historical ******* and social backgrounds. Through these characters, the play highlights *** intersecting *********** faced ** ***** and *** need *** solidarity ****** difference.
The play ** set in the United Kingdom. Apart from the fact the play draws from Churchill’s ******* heritage and her experiences ** a woman ** England, it uses ********** ** England’s Thatcherite ******** of the time and characters **** English history and the British ******** sphere to weave its tapestry ** intertextual references, firmly contextualising its setting.
The Thatcher (**** known ** Thatcherite) era refers ** the time of Margaret Thatcher's leadership ** the ** (1979-1990), a period characterised ** conservative policies, neoliberal ******** reforms, and a focus on individualism and market forces.
Margaret Thatcher, born ** October 13, 1925, in Grantham, England, was a British politician who ****** as the ***** Minister of *** United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990.
She *** the leader of the Conservative Party and the first woman ** hold the office of Prime Minister in the UK.
Thatcher implemented conservative economic policies, including deregulation, privatisation, *** free-market reforms, earning her the nickname "The **** Lady" *** her strong leadership style and ************** stance.
https://www.biography.com/political-figures/margaret-thatcher
During *** tenure, she faced challenges such ** the ********* War and the miners' ****** but also achieved notable successes, ************ in revitalizing the British economy.
Thatcher's political legacy remains controversial, **** supporters ********* her with revitalizing the ******* economy and opponents criticizing her for policies they argue exacerbated ****** inequality. *** passed **** ** April 8, 2013, *** her impact on British ******** *** society endures.
Thatcherism ** a **** that ****** to *** political and economic ******** associated with ******* Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
It represents a conservative approach to governance characterized by free-market principles, deregulation, privatization, and individualism.
https://www.biography.com/political-figures/margaret-thatcher
1. Individualism *** Personal Success:
*********** promoted the **** of individual responsibility *** self-reliance, emphasizing the importance of personal success and achievement. **** ethos is reflected ** *** character of Marlene, who embodies the Thatcherite ideal of the ‘self-**** woman’.
Marlene's career-driven ambition and ************* to succeed ** the corporate ***** epitomise the ****** of Thatcherism, which prioritised meritocracy (a society governed by people selected according to merit) *** rewarded entrepreneurialism.
2. Meritocracy and Class Mobility:
*********** was characterized ** a belief in meritocracy, the idea that individuals ****** be rewarded based on their talents and ******* rather **** ***** social background.
In Top Girls, Marlene's **** from a working-***** background to a high-******* job at the Top Girls ********** Agency *********** **** narrative of ***** mobility and social ascent.
However, the play also exposes the limitations ** meritocracy, ** Marlene's success comes at the expense of her ******** relationships and ***** integrity.
https://www.biography.com/political-figures/margaret-thatcher
3. ************ and ******** Rationalism:
*********** ********* for deregulation *** *** reduction of ***** intervention in the economy, favouring free-****** principles and privatisation. This economic rationalism is reflected in *** play's portrayal of the corporate world, where competition, ****** motives, and ****** ****** dominate.
Marlene's cutthroat ******** ** ******** and her willingness to exploit others for personal **** ******* *** values of Thatcherite capitalism, ***** prioritised economic efficiency *** shareholder value above *** else.
4: ****** and Power: Thatcherism has been closely associated with debates ****** gender and power, as ******** herself was the first female Prime Minister of the UK. While *********** celebrated Thatcher as a symbol of ****** empowerment *** achievement, it also ***** criticism for its failure ** ******* the ********** inequalities ***** by women in society. ** "Top Girls," Churchill interrogates the complexities of gender and ***** within the context ** Thatcherism, ********* how women navigate *********** ********** *** capitalist ********** to assert ****** and autonomy.
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-belfast-shipyard-workers-protest-against-margaret-thatcher-20233352.html
5. Social ******* *** Austerity:
*********** ushered in an era of austerity measures (***** economic ******** ******** to ****** the government's ****** deficit) and cuts ** social welfare programs, which ****************** affected marginalised communities, including women and working-***** families. The play subtly critiques these policies through its portrayal of ********** like Angie, a young girl **** a disadvantaged background who dreams of a better **** but faces systemic barriers to success. ** ************ *** human costs of Thatcherite austerity, Churchill challenges the myth of trickle-**** ********* *** exposes the harsh ********* of inequality and ****** injustice.
*** 1980s ** *** ** were marked by profound class struggles as the Thatcher government's policies ******** the socio-******** landscape. Deindustrialisation *** ** widespread job losses and economic hardship in workingclass communities, while the rise of *** ******* sector created *** forms of unstable jobs and ****** inequality.
*** Girls reflects these ********* through characters **** Angie, who ********** *** challenges faced by young ****** in deindustrialised regions ********* with unemployment. Thatcherite ideals of social mobility and meritocracy are ******** through the character ** Marlene, who rises **** a working-class background to a high-powered job,
https://www.retrocards.co.uk/margaret-thatcher-conservative-
election-poster-30x40cm-art-print highlighting both the ************* and limitations ** upward mobility in Thatcherite Britain.
The *** also saw austerity measures and cuts ** social ******* programs, disproportionately ********* vulnerable communities.
********** like Angie's mother in *** Girls embody the struggles ** working-***** families facing poverty and inadequate support **** the state. Through ***** themes, ***** Churchill offers a nuanced
portrayal ** class relations in Thatcherite https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-belfast-shipyard-workers-protest-against-
Britain. margaret-thatcher-20233352.html
**** invites audiences to reflect on the enduring legacy of these struggles and their relevance in ************ society, all the ***** ************ and enforcing the play’s ********* feminist message.
Top Girls explores Britain's changing workplace dynamics for ***** during *** 1980s. The play portrays both *** opportunities and challenges faced by ***** as they navigate corporate ************ and ****** for professional success. ********** like Marlene ****** *** aspirations ** ambitious ****** women who seek to break through glass ceilings *** ****** ********** in ************* workplaces. However, *** play also highlights *** sacrifices *** compromises that women must often make to succeed ** such environments, as well ** the tensions ******* personal ambition and familial responsibilities.
Through its portrayal ** ******* ****** characters from ********* historical ******* and social backgrounds, *** Girls offers a multifaceted *********** of the ************ of women's experiences in the changing landscape of British workplaces, inviting audiences to reflect ** the ******* ********* for gender equality *** empowerment.
Being a work of Postmodern theatre, Top Girls ******* an array of theatrical styles *** ******* with ******** ** Churchill’s influences to create a nuanced ***** ** theatre **** invites the audience to ****** its own ******* and reflect critically and ************ on the ********* of *** play.
Churchill ******* the audience to ***** a distanced view of the ****** ********* on stage.
Churchill **** an episodic structure and a non-****** narrative ** Top Girls, reminiscent of Bertolt
Brecht's **** Theatre. Like Brecht, Churchill ******* alienation techniques (known as the
*********** effect (** V-Effect) ** disrupt audience immersion and encourage critical reflection ** *** themes and characters.
The play's fragmented structure and juxtaposition ** different ********** ******* challenge conventional notions of linear storytelling, inviting audiences ** actively engage **** the **** and its socio-political implications.
Top Girls ********** ********* historical periods and characters, blurring *** ********** between **** and present. By incorporating characters **** Lady Nijo, Pope Joan, and Patient Griselda ********* contemporary ******* **** Marlene and Angie, Churchill disrupts conventional notions of linear time *** historical progress. This technique encourages *** ******** to view the characters and their experiences from a broader, more historical perspective, ************ *** continuity of women's struggles across time.
The fictionalisation of ********** ********** (and ********* characters like Griselda or Dull Gret) could **** ** argued to ** an example of historification, a technique frequently https://www.britannica.com/biograp employed by Brecht ** *** plays, in which effects from the past hy/Bertolt- Brecht *** ****** in *** present ** make social or commentary.
****** employed historification to highlight the potential for political change: **** theatre showcases ********** events to suggest that things could have **** different, and that our current **** doesn't have to remain unchanged either.
The ******** ******* the dinner scene in *** Girls and *** contemporary ****** *** be viewed as a use of historification, another alienation technique.
.
While elements such ** non linear, non chronological ** a fragmented structure are ** home in the Postmodern genre, many of these elements have strong ***** in Brecht’s Epic Theatre. We **** remember, though, that *** Churchill, Postmodernism as an established style did not yet exist.
********* ************ a general Brechtian ********* in her work:
“I think *** writers, directors *** actors working in ******* ** the seventies his ideas have been absorbed into *** general **** of shared knowledge and attitudes, so **** without constantly ******** ** ****** we nevertheless ******* things in a *** we ***** not have without him.”
https://sites.udel.edu/britlitwiki/caryl-churchill/
A strong parallel between Churchill and ****** lies in their dedication to ********* politics.
During *** 1980s, socialist playwrights aimed to mobilise the public by portraying working-***** *********** and highlighting economic disparities. Churchill’s commitment to challenging the status quo ********* with Brecht’s belief that art ******** **** the ruling ***** is essentially political.
Brecht employs techniques ** alienation to **** audiences thinking critically *** questioning societal norms. In Top Girls, we ******* various ******** such ** an episodic structure, non-linear storytelling, historification, and multi-rolling of actors.
Top Girls has been ********* by critics as a 'domestic epic' which ***** how ****** and ideas that have ************* **** associated as a part ** the ‘******** realm’ have been ******** with Brecht's epic theatre.
Instead of presenting a realistic production ** which all elements work together cohesively, Brecht aimed for the ******** elements of the production to ** noticeable. **** way, *** ******** doesn't get **** in the performance; rather, they *** given the chance to critically evaluate ***** ********* **** a social perspective. The episodic format of the play *** ******** to ***** the audience's consciousness. We see glimmers ** this episodic structure in the *** that *** interviews in Act 2 are structured.
Churchill’s refusal ** provide ***** ******* or a linear narrative ******* Brecht’s goal of avoiding a cathartic experience, thus ****** the ******** to take ****** on the social ****** presented.
Additionally, the central debate in Top Girls and the multi-roling ** cast members **** Brecht’s techniques ** create an alienation effect *** the audience. However, ********* also aimed ** provide female actors with more substantial roles as a reason *** employing multi-roling, offering them opportunities to ******* characters previously unavailable to **** ** ******* dominated by male voices.
https://theatre-or-theater.tumblr.com/post/184094698116/top-girls-national-theatre-review-top-notch
National Theatre: A ********* ***** to *** Girls
In *** ******* scene ** "Top Girls," Caryl Churchill employs elements of Surrealism ** create a dream-like atmosphere **** sets *** **** *** the rest of the play. The scene unfolds in a *********** setting—a ****** dinner party held by Marlene to celebrate *** ****** promotion at the Top Girls Employment Agency. This surreal gathering ****** the boundaries of time and space, creating a sense of ************** *** ************ for the audience.
One ** *** surreal aspects of the scene is the presence of historical and fictional women from different **** periods, all ******** together in one space.
Characters like Lady **** (a 13th-century Japanese concubine), **** Joan (a legendary female Pope), *** Patient Griselda (a character from Chaucer's "The Clerk's Tale") interact with contemporary
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-what-is-surrealism
******* like Marlene *** Isabella.
This blending ** historical periods and ******** archetypes creates a ***** ** temporal dislocation
and adds to the dream-like quality ** *** scene.
https://www.stagewhispers.com.au/reviews/top-girls-0
The performances ** the actors in the ******* scene often veer ******* the exaggerated and theatrical, further enhancing the surreal atmosphere. ********** **** Marlene *** ******** ***** larger-than-life personas, ***** others, **** as Lady Nijo and Patient Griselda, recount their life stories in a heightened, melodramatic style. **** ************* **** to *** sense of unreality and ******** in the scene, emphasizing *** artificiality of the characters and their experiences.
While Act 2 and 3 follow a **** more realistic mode of storytelling, particularly Act 3 which mirrors *** kitchen-sink drama form, these acts are ******** with strange, disturbing elements: ********** ** Angie killing ‘the kitten’ and Kit ****** Angie taste her menstrual blood. The play’s final moment, ** Angie wakes from her apparent nightmare - and her use ** the word ‘frightening’ feels like a book end to *** dreamlike Act 1, in which the ***** ***** their success *** Marlene’s future - except that, in the *** of *** 3, it is Angie’s future or the future for the youth that Angie ********** **** is frightening.
The influence of Absurdism in *** play is most clearly **** ** the opening scene, specifically in *** style ** ******** employed by the historical characters. The conversations ****** the ******* dinner table ****** ** non-******** dialogue and actions that defy conventional ***** and coherence. For instance, the ********** conversations between characters ** *** ****** party ***** veer off **** ******** and absurd exchanges, ********** the fragmented nature of human communication. Similarly, the behaviour of ********** **** Marlene and Angie can be erratic and unpredictable, challenging the audience's ************ of ******** behaviour and character development.
There are also influences ** ****** Pinter’s use of repetitive phrases later on, *** example when Shona says: “My ******* job at present”. (Act 2)
As a feminist playwright, Churchill ***** on the traditions of ******** ******* to explore gender, power, *** identity in "*** Girls." *** play features complex female ********** who defy stereotypes *** challenge patriarchal norms, reflecting Churchill's commitment to representing women's experiences authentically on stage. *** Girls also ******* **** feminist debates around intersectionality and solidarity, highlighting the diverse voices and perspectives ****** *** feminist movement.
Reflecting on *** evolving relationship to feminism, Churchill commented:
“For years *** years I thought ** myself ** a writer before I thought of myself as a woman, *** recently I’ve found that I would say I was a ******** ****** as opposed ** other ****** saying I was.” Her feminist awakening corresponded to the way she prioritised women’s ****** ** her work: “I ****** to give the ***** the ‘knotty problems’ (** theatre).”
*** Girls’ *********** of the tensions ******* ********** and career ******* illustrates this decision to explore women’s issues. Churchill also aimed to provide ****** actors with more substantial roles as a reason for ********* multi-roling, offering them ************* to explore characters previously unavailable to **** in theatre dominated ** male voices. Within what was then a male dominated theatre environment, Churchill places women’s stories *** concerns unapologetically centre-stage. By allowing female characters previously written by men (e.g.
Griselda or Gret), Churchill allows these ***** ** reclaim their own voices *** stories. Opportunities *** created for many actresses to ******* ******* characters in a single ***** of theatre. The male characters like ****** ***** off-stage **** and are discussed or represented by female voices.
Critics **** had this to say ***** Top Girls’ contribution ** theatre:
“The all-female production meant that the ‘writing of ‘Top Girls’ was the single **** conscious intervention that ******* dramaturgy was to make ** *** patriarchal **** of dramatic discourse.” “After ‘Top Girls’, ** *** no longer ******** to ********* woman dramatists ** some promising but lesser species ** ******** creature.”
These comments say much about the critic’s perception of ****** playwrights, but ** also indicates *** crucial ***** ** perception that Top ***** facilitated.
The play incorporates elements ** ********** drama, drawing on the lives ** real and fictional women from different time periods. ********** like Lady Nijo, Pope Joan, *** ******* ******** *** based ** historical figures or literary archetypes, allowing Churchill to explore *** enduring relevance ** their stories ** contemporary society. Through these historical vignettes, Churchill ********** the ********** of women's struggles across time *** the ways in ***** ********** narratives shape our understanding of gender and power.
REALISM - SOCIAL REALISM:
Social Realism, like Realism, ******** **** is real, ******** *** often ugly, about society. ** explores the politics and society of *** **** and challenges society ** think about itself. The staging of ‘*** Girls’ will vary from ********** to production but some ******* around ******* that reflect the ****** and ***** of the characters are usually ********** ** productions. Churchill’s language reflects real ****** patterns of individuals as well as their personalities and social class. The play explores gritty, challenging themes of social classism.
*** Girls ******** characteristics of postmodern theatre, including fragmentation, intertextuality, and meta-theatricality. Churchill's *** of ******** narrative threads and ********** ******* challenges traditional notions of plot and character development, while her ********** with historical and ******** references adds layers of meaning ** the text. *** play's self-reflexive moments, such as *** ****** ***** scene, ****** audiences to interrogate the ************ of gender and identity within *** context of contemporary culture and politics. *** concept of postmodernism evident ** *** Girls will ** ******** ** the STYLE ******* ** **** guide.
“I ******** before I wrote Top Girls thinking about ***** barristers – *** how they were ** a minority and had to imitate men to succeed – and I was thinking of them as ********* from me. And then I thought, ‘wait a minute, ** whole concept of **** plays might be is from plays written by men …’ And I remember long before **** thinking of the ‘maleness’ ** the traditional structure of plays, with conflict and building in a certain way to a climax. *** it’s not something I think ***** very often.”
“*** ideas for Top Girls came from *** kinds of things. A lot of ** **** **** a really long way. The idea of Dull **** ** a character I found in **** *** notebook **** 1977 ** 78. There’d been the idea ** a play about a lot of dead ***** having coffee with ******* from the present. And an **** about women doing all kinds of jobs. ** was also that ******** had just become P.M.; and also I had **** to America … and had been talking to women ***** *** **** saying things were ***** very well: they were getting far more women executives, women vice-presidents and so on. *** that *** such a different attitude **** ******** I’d met here, where feminism ***** to be much **** connected with socialism and not ** **** to ** **** ***** succeeding on the sort of capitalist ladder. All those ideas fed into Top Girls. I wanted ** to set off, with *** ***** historical ***** celebrating Marlene’s achievement, to **** as if it were going to be a *********** of women achieving things, and then ** put the other perspectives on it, ** show that just to achieve the same things **** men *** achieved in ********** society wouldn’t be a good object.”
- Caryl Churchill
********* intended Top Girls to be a ******** ******** of *********** structures and gender roles in society. The play explores *** challenges faced by women ** male-********* fields, the tensions between personal ambition and societal expectations of femininity, *** the complexities of female relationships and solidarity. ** focussing on the experiences of women from diverse backgrounds *** historical periods, Churchill highlights the multiplicity ** women's voices and the intersectionality of gender, class, *** race.
National Theatre: Top ***** Learning Guide
Churchill wrote *** Girls ****** *** *** of Margaret Thatcher's ********** in *** UK, and the play reflects her ******** of Thatcherite policies and their impact on women and ************ communities.
******* characters like Marlene, *** embodies the ethos of individualism *** ******** ******** by Thatcherism, ********* explores *** ************** and inequalities of neoliberal capitalism. The play interrogates the myth ** *********** *** the ***** ** ****** mobility in a ******* marked by class ********* and social inequality.
Methuen ****** Drama: Top Girls Learning Guide
As a playwright known for her theatrical experimentation, Churchill intended Top Girls to **** the boundaries of traditional ************ *** challenge audience expectations. The play's non-linear narrative structure, ********** dialogue, *** surrealistic ******** reflect Churchill's commitment to theatrical innovation and her rejection of ************ dramatic forms. ** disrupting the naturalistic **** of the ********* and incorporating elements ** absurdism *** meta-theatricality, Churchill invites audiences ** engage with
the **** on a deeper, more intellectual National Theatre: *** Girls ******** Guide level.
American Repertory Theatre
Churchill ******** themes ** identity and authenticity ** "Top Girls," inviting audiences to question *** *********** nature of gender roles and ****** norms. Through ********** like Marlene *** Isabella, who navigate the tensions between conformity and individuality, Churchill examines the ************ of self-definition *** self-expression in a changing world. The play's *** of historical and ********* characters *********** the fluidity of ******** and *** performative nature of gender, challenging audiences to reconsider their assumptions about ******** and authenticity.
‘Top Girls’, while written in the 1980s *** ***** be viewed ** a contemporary play, as its complex feminist themes, social and political satire, complex *** ********* characters and themes *** innovative theatrical elements **** *** play as challenging and relevant as it was when first written.
Top Girls, like **** Postmodern works, embraces the concept of a ‘Supermarket of Styles.’ It ** **** theatrical and ***** itself ** to ********* from and referencing stylistic ***** *** conventions **** a range ** 2*** century ****** and genres such as social realism, epic theatre, surrealism and *** absurd. (See THEATRICAL INFLUENCES) This ‘supermarket of styles’ is a defining feature of Postmodern Theatre.
At the core of Postmodern plays is the ********* of a single truth. We as a postmodern society are bombarded with multiple, ********** realities. Like so many writers, ************ and ******** ** the 2*** (and 2*** century), ** *** encouraged to *** questions about *** existence and ultimately form *** *** meaning. While ***** is no uniform ********* or style that determines the way Postmodern ******* is created, ***** *** ******* theatrical conventions that appear ************ in ***** of this movement.
************* is a *********** ******** to pin **** because it resists ************** *** seeks ** challenge the *********** beliefs ** previous schools of thought. It aims to ******** that there's no single, absolute truth. Postmodern plays, for instance, refuse to adhere to a ****** overarching story, acknowledging that there can be multiple interpretations at *** same time, and inviting audiences to actively participate in ******** meaning during a ********** performance.
This ******** is *** limited to a specific area, as ** can be seen ** ******* forms such as architecture, film, literature, *** studio art. Postmodernity is marked by the use of pastiche, fragmentation, and irony.
TECHNIQUES *** CONVENTIONS OF POSTMODERNISM:
Postmodernism rejects ‘master narratives.’ ****** narratives include *** systems *** ********** which ****** do not question *** ****** **** be ********** ******* it appears ** if ******* values these. Some ‘master narratives’ **** **** ********* the 2*** ******* ** ‘absolute truths’ include:
● Colonialism ** bringing ************ to the world.
● It is *** ***** of a woman ** stay at home at raise children
● The USA has a duty to police ***** ** *** World
And yet - today, these ***** have been rejected, and *** *** viewed with great suspicion as they take power away from those who are vulnerable ***** furthering *** ********* of those with power. Postmodernism urges us to ******** ‘absolute truths’ and find the flaws in this absolute *** of thinking.
***** about **** master ********** that ‘Top Girls’ rejects, e.g.
● A woman must reject *** ********** to ‘make it’ in a ‘man’s world’
● ‘Women can ‘**** it all’ - be mothers and successful women ** the workplace.’
What are **** of the master ********** that the play
brings up in **** reading of the play?
DECONSTRUCTION:
************** ** postmodern ******* involves ******** down traditional notions of storytelling, character, *** structure. ** challenges established norms by dismantling and questioning *** fundamental ******** of a play, such as linear narratives, clear ********* motivations, and traditional forms of staging. (See sections on STRUCTURE, PLOT, CHARACTER)
** essence, deconstruction in ********** theatre aims ** subvert and **** boundaries, inviting ********* to ********** engage with the performance and ******** ******** interpretations and meanings. This approach often leads ** a **** fragmented, non-linear, and open-ended ********** experience.
https://criticaltheorypostmodernfeminist.***** y.com/deconstruction.html
************** of feminism:
In Top Girls, ********* ************* the kind of ‘Feminists’, ** women ‘having ** *** ** ************** notions of feminism.
In Top Girls:
● Female characters disrespect other feminine characters, (e.g. Act 2 *** 3)
● Women give up their femininity and ***** identities as mothers (Act 1, 3)
● ****** characters **** conflicting ***** of success and experience hardship and ********* ****** ** that ******* (*** 1-3)
● The play *** exist without male characters, but *** impact ** men is **** everywhere. (Act 1-3)
Consider **** of ***** ideas: Specifically, where ** the play can you **** ******** of *** **** happens ** **** Act?
Deconstruction ** Language: The overlapping dialogue may also ** **** as a ************** of language, especially **** regards to *** way language is written ** modernist theatre. *** *** ******* ** LANGUAGE for more detail.
PASTICHE:
A French **** used ** describe a visual art **** similar to collage. Pastiche brings texts, ****** and media forms ** used - a “theft” or borrowing of artistic ****** and forms: A supermarket of styles. Looking back ** the ******* on THEATRICAL INFLUENCES, ** see **** in the pastiche of techniques *** conventions from Epic Theatre, Realism, Absurdism, Surrealism, etc.
In ‘*** Girls’, memories, flash-***** to the past, imagination and the present *** pieced together **** a ******** in a new and unsettling way.
The collage of the real world *** the transhistorical characters in Act 1 could be **** as pastiche, as the **** creates a layering of fictional characters (created by Churchill), characters **** history, *** and literature.
This layering of women ***** us think ***** **** *********** ‘success’ as women, think about how men have been instrumental in the shaping ** female identity, *** ask questions about how the core of being a woman - motherhood, love, work and identity connect and divide us.
*** overlapping the dialogue, which has become a trademark of Churchill’s theatre can also ** seen as an element of pastiche, as *** ********** ***** their ******** and stories over one another. We *** **** ************* in the ****** Scene in *** 1, although this ***** ********* throughout the **** and is especially ****** in *** verbal ******** match between Joyce *** ******* in Act 3, ** they argue ******** of family and ****** class.
DEATH OF THE AUTHOR:
********** theatre ******* the ****** ** the only or ultimate meaning maker. In Modernism - the playwright or director was the final authority on **** the play should mean.
Postmodern theatre ********** us to ****** meaning for ourselves. *** audience and not the author creates this meaning.
Multiple Realities & Story-Webs exist in Act 1 as *** ***** at the ***** argue, overlap *** **** together in a collision of
https://countercraft.substack.com/p/yall-wanna-see-a-death-of- their stories and experiences.
the-author
The audience **** often decide whose ********* is more important when listening to the conflicting, ************ dialogue.
Previous ‘authors’ ** literature and art are also rejected ** we see fictional characters such ** **** Gret and Patient Griselda reclaim their own identities outside ** the identities given to them by their male authors. (See section on CHARACTER)
FRAGMENTED / NON-LINEAR NARRATIVES:
Post-modernist ***** are considered fragmentary, ********* ****** ********** and making contradictory, *** often ironic combinations. Critics who see Top Girls as postmodern have tended ** reference the dinner scene, with its fragmented dialogue and
Skelly, A. Top Girls Notes incongruous, often ******** juxtapositions.
** the first production, actors were cast as both contemporary and historical characters, a precedent which subsequent *********** **** followed.
The play's radically non-linear narrative structure *** multiple-role casting leads to *** ********* *** multiple interpretations, encouraging viewers to compare *** contrast recent and historical moments.
In Closing: Style
Top Girls is a Postmodern play that ****** out for its ********** use of ********** techniques and styles, challenging traditional norms ** create a dynamic and thought-provoking theatrical experience. The combination ** satire, gritty realism, surrealism, *** social commentary contributes ** the play's lasting impact on contemporary theatre. Different productions *** emphasise specific techniques based on the interpretation of the director and creative team.
These elements keep the audience engaged in the idea that they *** watching a play and they *** constantly encouraged to think for themselves, consider the questions being asked and to form their own ***** ****** the complicated concepts and themes ******** in the play.
6. STRUCTURE:
A note ** structure: ***** are ********* *** versions ** the **** in print. A ***** edition has had some ********** changes, ***** Churchill ******* said *** preferred. Reference to ****** in *** play follow the second structure as published ** Bloomsbury.
|
An earlier script is ********** as: |
A later ******* (Bloomsbury) is set *** as: |
|
Act 1: Scene 1: The ****** Party Act 1: Scene 2: The ********** Agency: ******* ********* Jeanine *** 1: Scene 3: Angi, *** *** **** ** Joyce’s backyard - Sunday. |
Act 1: *** Dinner Party
|
|
*** 2: Scene 1: Top ***** Employment Agency: Monday morning: Win *** Nell arrive at the ‘Top Girls’ ********** Agency on Monday morning. They drink coffee and discuss the ******* until Marlene arrives. Win ********** Louise. Angie arrives to *** Marlene. Mrs Kid arrives to challenge Marlene for ********* Howard’s Job. *** interviews Shona Angie ***** asleep in Marlene’s office. |
Act 2: Scene One: Joyce’s backyard: Sunday afternoon Scene Two: ‘Top Girls’ Employment Agency – Monday morning: Win *** Nell have arrived at the ‘Top Girls’ Employment Agency ** ****** morning. **** drink coffee *** discuss the weekend until ******* arrives. Marlene Interviews Jeanine Interview: Louise *** Win ***** ******* to see Marlene. Mrs Kid arrives ** challenge Marlene for ********* Howard’s Job. Nel interviews Shona Angie falls asleep ** Marlene’s office. |
|
*** 3: One Year Earlier: Joyce’s ***** in Suffolk |
*** 3: One **** Earlier: Joyce’s House in Suffolk |
The play employs a non-linear structure, with scenes unfolding in a fragmented and non-traditional timeline. The play shifts between different **** periods and locations. *** ******* of this technique is to challenge conventional storytelling, encouraging the ******** to ******** engage in piecing ******** the narrative puzzle.
Act 1 and 2 occur a **** year after *** 3. The structure also contains ******** ******** in the ********* scenes ** *** 2.
ACT 2 ACT 3, One **** earlier
https://twitter.com/NationalTheatre/status/144786003609 https://lucywritersplatform.com/2019/04/14/carol-churchills-top-girls-at-
In *** Girls, Churchill rejects *** ******* of a “well-made play” and works with a **** experimental structure. She does **** through techniques such as
● A fragmented, non-linear structure
● ********* the conventions ** the well-**** play ● Rejecting a ****** narrative ● ********** *** audience.
Top Girls is not a “****** text” - ** it abandons a fixed time *** space, ********** in Act 1. The play forces the audience to reconsider their understanding of what they are seeing, ** reflect ********** on **** they are seeing, rather **** become ******* viewers. Not being able to anticipate what might happen next destabilises the audience and makes them feel uncomfortable.
By presenting scenes out of order, *** play requires the audience to actively engage in ********** *** plot lines. Some critics ***** **** Churchill intentionally abandons the traditional "well-**** play" structure as a protest against the male-dominated approach to playwriting.
The established ***** of drama, often shaped by *** in the past, *** re-evaluated.
‘I remember ****** I wrote ‘Top Girls’, thinking ***** ***** barristers – and *** they were in a ******** and *** to imitate men to ******* – and I *** thinking of them ** different from me. And then I thought, ‘wait a minute, my ***** ******* ** what ***** ***** ** is from ***** written by men…’
Top Girls Structure - Summarised:
|
*** 1 |
The first act ***** ** a surreal dinner party which presents a transhistorical ******* ** women from history, art and literature. This serves ** an ************ to the ******* character, Marlene, and sets the thematic tone for the play. |
|
ACT 2 |
*** 2 moves **** Joyce’s **** in Suffolk to Marlene’s offices at the Top Girls agency ** London. The *** ***** place primarily in the Top Girls Employment Agency, ***** ******* works. ** ********** the audience to ******* female characters who visit *** agency seeking employment. The scene *** at Joyce’s home in Suffolk explores the complex ******** between Joyce *** Angie, and Angie and Kit. The fractious, sometimes hostile relationships ******* ***** women echo the ******** seen in the *** ***** agency. |
|
ACT 3 |
Act three, set in Joyce’s kitchen, is set a full year before Act 1 *** 2. The ***** act returns ** Marlene's family in her hometown. It ******** Marlene's relationship with her ****** Joyce, her ***** Angie, and the sacrifices she **** *** her career. Chronologically, *** first scene would be Marlene’s ***** ** Joyce’s home, which takes ***** a year before the fantasy dinner, but *** scene is placed ** the end ** the play. This gives *** ********** that Marlene abandoned her daughter, Angie, even greater force. Any ******* ** ******** or encouragement for Angie ** *** 3 are ****** empty, as we see Marlene refer to her as a ‘****** ** Tesco’ or ‘she’s not going to make it’ ** *** 2. |
Interconnected Monologues:
The **** consists of ************** monologues and dialogues, ******** characters to ***** their perspectives on ambition, success, and the ********** faced by women in different societal roles. ** see **** ** rare moments where ***** are ******* to speak without interruption - Dull Gret’s ******** monologue in *** 1 ** Win / Nell’s in *** 2. *** we have ** *** - is it significant **** the other women in the **** are ***** *** asleep **** ***** ********** are spoken?
The ********* and end of the play *** not be directly ********* in content, *** they share ******** relevance. *** Girls starts with a dreamlike dinner ***** and concludes with Angie waking from a nightmare, repeatedly uttering the word "frightening." It's ** to the audience to interpret what "frightening" signifies: Marlene’s politics, the sisters’ history, the unbridgeable *** between them, or the limited future for ***** and the **** generation ** young women. Angie’s future seems **** **** frightening when we consider **** *** last statement of the play in chronological **** is that Angie ** “*** going to make it”. Marlene behaved as *** did throughout the play after **** encounter with her sister and daughter. Marlene’s matter-of-**** ********* ***** Angie’s **** ** prospects is frightening, since Marlene ********** the future.
*** Girls is centred around Marlene, a career-****** woman, who ** heavily invested in women’s success in business.
*** **** examines *** roles available to women, ************ in *** 1980’s, where *** play is set. Top Girls dwells ******* on the **** of ambition and relationships that are severed as a ****** of one’s success.
Top ***** opens ** a restaurant where *** main character, Marlene, is hosting a ****** party. Marlene is a ****** ***** during the early 1980s, and has recently ******** a ********* to ******** director. However, the five characters whom she invites to her celebration are *** from her era, but are ****** historical figures ** fictional characters from literature and art. The first to ****** are Isabella Bird and **** Nijo, *** real historical figures *** ****** known through their published writings.
Pope Joan and Dull Gret arrive soon afterwards. Pope Joan is debatably a real-**** or mythical figure: a woman from the ninth century who cross-dressed so convincingly that *** reportedly became Pope. In contrast ** the ********** figures who *** known through their public roles, Dull Gret ** a fictional character depicted in a painting by Brueghel.
https://theartsdesk.com/theatre/top-girls-minerva-theatre-chichester
The characters talk over **** other, discussing their love lives, travels *** families. Marlene proposes a toast, remarking ** how far they have come, and the rest of *** characters toast her accomplishment in return. The **** switches ** **** **** ********* her story. She reveals that *** lived ** a man from *** age of 12 in order to continue *** education. She eventually rose ******* the church establishment and ****** Pope. Meanwhile, she also had ** ****** with *** of her chamberlains, and ****** pregnant. *** gave birth to the child unexpectedly ****** a procession and, exposed as a woman, *** *** stoned to death.
While Joan tells her story Nijo interjects and ***** ***** *** four children. *** first baby was the Emperor's son, but the ****** died. Nijo had to hide *** next pregnancies because they resulted **** her affairs, and her lovers **** the infants away from her. She *** *** fourth **** in *** hills and stayed away from everyone, but *** ** longer felt anything for *** infant. Marlene wonders why, in ******** ** the joyful celebration she *** planned, they *** so miserable.
The ***** ***** to arrive ** *** tardy Patient Griselda, a fictional character from Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. ******** ***** her ***** and it ******* clear that, ****** the other characters, she has no voice ** her own. Although *** was born to a ******* family, marquis ************ selected her as his wife. However, *** condition of her ******** *** that she *** to obey *** husband Walter ******* question. Griselda agreed and always adhered to her promise, ** matter what extreme sacrifices ** asked of her.
Walter insisted ** ****** *** two ******* taken **** from her *** apparently killed. He told her it was ******* *** ******* people were ********** **** him having children who were partially of peasant stock. However, *** believed that Walter really ****** to have ***** that *** loved him. Finally, her ******* decided to send Griselda back ** her father, **** nothing but a slip as clothing. Walter tested her ***** by asking her to help ******* *** wedding to a new, younger wife. ***** ******** ******** the girl getting ready, Walter revealed that the young ***** *** actually their daughter. Griselda found out that Walter had secretly allowed **** their son and daughter to grow up. Made ******* ** his wife’s unquestioning obedience, Walter took Griselda back, finally reuniting the family.
Marlene expresses her frustration over ********* acquiescence ** *** husband's requirements. **** is also upset, ******* unlike Griselda, ****** *** returned *** children to her. Nijo does remember *** one time *** **** the ******* for a perceived injustice. Gret, *** has remained ****** silent throughout the meal, ***** her story, recalling how *** and other ***** ********* through hell and **** *** devils. Isabella talks about the last **** **** she took, where *** *** *** first ******** woman to meet the Emperor of Morocco. By **** time, the women have become consistently drunker, and arguably sadder and more estranged, with **** Joan
https://www.chicagoonstage.com/1982s-feminist-playtop-girls-proves- lapsing into Latin and then vomiting. sadly-still-relevant-today/
Scene 1:
Act 2 begins in Joyce’s backyard Suffolk. Joyce ** Marlene s sister, *** still lives ** the working-class community in which they grew up. Joyces 16-year-old daughter, Angie, and her 12-year-old friend Kit are talking ** a shelter built ** Joyce's Backyard. Joyce repeatedly calls Angie, but Angie and *** both ignore her.
Angie ***** Kit that she wants to kill her ****** *** have Kit watch. Kit ** worried about a ******* war and insists **** **** should move to New Zealand in case ** a bombing.
Angie reveals her big secret: that she ** going to ** to ****** and ***** *** aunt Marlene, whom *** believes is actually her mother.
https://keegantheatre.com/portfolio/previous/
Angie and Kit *** planned to ** ** *** cinema, but Joyce insists that Angie needs ** clean her room before she can go. ***** ****** and Joyce and Kit talk about the two girls' plans for the future.While Angie has left school, the ****** *** wants to ** a nuclear physicist. Angie goes to her room and ******* dressed ** in her ***** blue dress, which is too small for her. ***** gets increasingly angry at Angie's refusal to clean her room. ** begins to rain and Joyce and Kit retreat inside. When Kit ***** back outside to get Angie, Angie reveals **** *** put *** dress on ** kill her mother.
https://theatrius.com/2019/09/28/top-girls-transcends-time-space-for-magnificent-women-at-act-s-f/
Scene 2:
** is ****** morning again at the Top Girls Agency where Marlene's co-workers, *** *** Nell, are gossiping. Win chats to **** about the affair that *** is ****** with a married man, revealing **** she spent the weekend at his house while his wife was out of town. **** contemplate switching jobs, because Marlene has recently been promoted over them and this might limit their
prospects: **** can **** ** further possible aspirations **** *** firm since there can be only one Top Girl. However, they tell Marlene that they are glad that she got the ********* over the runner-up candidate, ****** Kidd.
This scene is ******** by a series of interviews. In *** first, Marlene is in the ******* ** interviewing a ***** woman, Jeanine, in ***** to find *** a job placement. Marlene instructs the ***** engaged Jeanine that she should not tell her potential employers that *** ** ******* married, because they **** assume that *** will leave her *** to have children.
https://twitter.com/NationalTheatre/status/1118778792028274688
******** ******* has a vague idea ** ******* ** travel, ******* evaluates Jeanine’s potential and suggests some low-level local jobs. Marlene ******* that she is ******* *** reputation by giving her recommendation, and Jeanine agrees that she will do her best to get a job at a ********* company.
https://www.stagewhispers.com.au/reviews/top-girls-0
Win interviews Louise, a 46-year-old woman *** has been in the same job for 21 years. Louise ***** Win that she had not feel *********** at her previous company since her ****** passed her over for promotion, and ******* she even trained others who were promoted over her. Win believes that her potential will be limited due to *** younger men who will be her competition, *** finds a cosmetic company that ***** hire her. When Louise ********* her ************ **** her old workplace, Win reprimands her by saying that she should not **** ** much at an interview.
Next, Angie arrives at the office, having ********* to London ** see her aunt. Marlene asks Angie if
Joyce knows where she is, but ******** an indefinite answer. ***** becomes ********** **** Marlene does *** **** ** want Angie ** **** at her apartment. Howard’s wife, *** Kidd, interrupts their conversation when she enters the office and insists ** talking to Marlene. Mrs Kidd explains how upset she and Howard feel about a woman being promoted over him, and ***** **** Marlene will turn down the offer so the ****** will promote *** instead. Marlene, however, ** dismissive.
***** she leaves, Angie (who ******** the conversation) ***** Marlene **** *** thinks her attitude was admirable.
Nell then ********** Shona, who claims that she is 29 and describes her successful **** on the road as a saleswoman. However, by the end of the interview it is ***** to **** that ***** *** been making ** her
|
credentials. *** admits that she is actually only 21 and has ** real work experience.
|
https://projecteingenu.com/wordpress/en/portfolioitem/top-girls-3/ |
|
https://tamingofthereview.com/2019/02/12/arts-top-girls-showcases-top-femaletalent/ |
Marlene responds that Angie has ******** ******* prospects.
|
Meanwhile, Marlene has left Angie in the office while she works away from her desk. Angie ***** her that *** ***** to work at the agency, *** *** *** ** credentials. *** starts ** tell ***** her life story, *** Angie falls asleep.
Nell enters and informs Win that ****** has had a ***** attack. Marlene ******* to the ****** *** *** tells her that Angie wants to **** at *** agency. However,
This act is chronologically the earliest, taking place ** a ****** afternoon in Joyce’s kitchen a year before the rest of *** play. It ** the most ********* and **** a ‘kitchen-sink’ drama.
The act starts with Angie opening the presents that Marlene has bought *** Joyce *** Angie. Angie ******* *** blue dress **** *** wore ** *** ******* backyard scene. She joyfully tries the
https://theatrestorm.com/2019/10/02/review-top-girls-at-a-c-t/ dress on, which **** *** at that time.
Meanwhile, ** ******* ***** that Angie has *********** *** ******* into meeting by misleadingly telling Marlene that Joyce wanted *** to visit. *** two ***** scold ***** for deceiving them, but she ******* them **** the **** time her **** ******* *** for her ninth birthday. Joyce ****** that *** ******* left three years before. Joyce ***** Angie to *** and Marlene plans to sleep ** *** couch.
** private, *** ******* argue ***** their childhoods, different life ******* and politics. While Marlene ****** their alcoholic father for abusing ***** mother, Joyce sees *** as having had an oppressed life as well. When Marlene accuses ***** of being jealous of her career, ***** criticizes ******* *** deserting her family. The scene climaxes **** a **** dispute ******* the sisters **** ***** questions Marlene’s lifestyle, ********** after having ***** up Angie as a baby. It ** here that *** ******** ****** that ******* ** ** fact Angie’s biological mother. ***** *** disagreements **** the ******* socio-******** ****** that is having differing ******* ** the two women. One ** ******** whilst one is barely surviving. Their fight goes deeper **** their material place in the ***** - their ******** on each **** of the working / middle class divide has rendered **** enemies.
Joyce: “So don’t be round here when it happens because ** someone’s kicking you I’ll just laugh.”
Unable to come ** an agreement on *** state of their future, ******* and Joyce retire to bed, their bond ** sisters shattered.
Marlene: “But we’re friends anyway.”
Joyce: I don’t think so, no.” (Act 3)
**** ******* sleeping in the lounge, she settles down to sleep only to be ***** ** Angie, who appears to be sleepwalking. Marlene ***** to ******** **** Angie, *** only ******** by eerily ****** ‘frightening’. This is ***** the play ends.
|
Some ********* notes on ******** in the play: ** the preface ** *** script Caryl Churchill specifies *** ********* uses of / *** *. A ****** usually ******* *** one *********** ****** it, BUT: ● When *** character starts speaking ****** the other has finished, *** point of interruption marked **** /. ● A character sometimes continues speaking right through another’s speech. ● Sometimes a speech ******* on from a speech earlier than the one immediately before it. I case the ********** is ****** with *.
|
As ********** explored in STYLE (Postmodernism), ******** serves as a prime example of a ****** ********* - a narrative that Postmodern Theatre opposes. The movement argues that many grammatical and linguistic structures, believed to be essential *** ********* communication, **** **** manipulated ** those in power to uphold artificial ******* and maintain authority.
Some ********* believe that ******** has been used as a **** to further the advancement of *** only and keep women inferior *** subservient. Plays like Top Girls reclaim language so that it includes *** ****** of women.
Audiences and critics have seen Churchill's overlapping dialogue ********* as an innovation in style. Critics have **** different interpretations of the mood **** the overlapping dialogue sets for the scene.
Critical ********* initially focused on the ways in ***** the overlapping dialogue illustrated that *** ***** were *** ********* ** each other. Many critics portray *** women in *** 1 as egoists focusing on ***** *** narratives. Recently however, theorists have attempted to rehabilitate the ****** guests *** their ******* of communication.
https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/magazine/2015/june/archive-caryl-churchill
“** a ***** it ** common for ***** ** communicate collaboratively: ** make comments, to complete another person's sentences, or to rephrase another's words. The women in the first act as ****** listeners, expressing empathy. The ********** do not **** to be widely insulted by the interruptions, and have heard each ***** (because they answer each other's questions). **** ** ** ***** some of the characters *** self-centred, their *********** build to a therapeutic release. Instead of ***** chaotic, the audience understands *** main ****** of the characters' narratives, creating a continuously linked narrative. Additionally, the ****** ********* scenes, where *********** characters are ******** cut off less frequently, are ***** they are more lastingly silenced.” - **** Schneider, Theatre Writer
In *** Girls:
1. The stars (*) and forward ******* (/) ****** in *********** DIALOGUE. These markers indicate ***** the ***** **** over each other. **** *** many effects:
|
1.1. |
This ********* ******** *** postmodern ******* of the ***** of *** Author, ** Caryl Churchill seems to hand over ******* over *** text by allowing the ********** to ********* each other, giving the ********** that they *** ** ****** of ***** own dialogue. *** audience is *** presented with neatly constructed conversation, making it challenging to follow.
|
|
1.2. |
*** audience has to listen closely ** follow *** discussions, needing to choose which narrative thread to attend to when multiple stories are ****** simultaneously. This reflects the postmodern condition of hyper-reality, where ******** options and alternatives bombard us, making it a challenge ** ****** a single ******* **** overlapping dialogue.
|
|
1.3. |
** also relates ** the postmodern complaint ***** history. Postmodernists are ********* *** ********** of ******* for recording only a certain point of view. They feel that history is an ****** version of ****** events. ******* tells the master narrative story which most people ****** as true. The overlapping dialogue in ‘Top Girls’ ******** that there are ****** voices in history which have not yet been heard. History should not only have one voice.
|
|
1.4. |
*** guests ** the party compete for attention, creating a cacophony ** ************ voices. |
|
1.5. |
**** have suggested that the stars (*) *** forward ******* (/) imitate the conversational ****** of ****** ******* chatting. They are confident and uninhibited. ******* because ** ******** Thatcher’s lead ** the first ****** Prime Minister of Britain, the women feel liberated and **** a lot to say for themselves. |
2. The ********** each have their own speech pattern. This way it is ******** to identify *** ** ******** by *** language they use.
*** example, Patient Griselda is meek *** subservient (“Oh, ** everyone is. I don’t mind.”) (*** 1)
4. **** Joan is arguably *** **** educated ***** at *** ***** and ****** Latin. Latin is a ********* language regarded as the basis of knowledge, learning and religion. ** the dinner progresses, Pope **** speaks ** Latin more *** more. While this may showcase her ******** ability and class, it **** ********* *** from the ***** guests *** don’t understand what she is saying. Pope Joan’s achievements in language set her apart from *** others. *** use of Latin may give her ****** to greater wisdom, but what good is profound ********* if it cannot ** ****** with others?
Even **** Pope Joan speaks ** English (“St. Augustine ********** that the Neo-Platonic Ideas are *********** from God”) her words **** to escape everyday comprehension. (*** 1)
5. ******** Bird and Lady Nijo speak the most at the dinner table. ***** two women **** published ******* in their time and **** have ‘******* ***** voice’ in history. ***** these ********** may speak a great deal, they listen the least to the others *** ** not seem particularly interested ** what others have to say. Isabella Bird and **** **** **** ask questions **** **** can ****** *** ***** **** to themselves.
6. Joyce and Angie swear and use vulgar language.
Joyce: “******* ****** ****** cunt. You can stay ***** and die.”
Angie: “Say you eat shit” (*** 2)
Their words mark **** as working-***** individuals. Angie’s ****** vocabulary reminds ** ** Dull
Gret. Both speak abruptly and directly. In *** 1, ** is *** working-class characters: Gret (“Balls”, “Potatoes” and the waitress (*** 1), who are most silent, with the waitress not speaking at all. This is a commentary ** *** the working class *** silenced by those with power.
******* her emotive speech at *** end ** *** 1, Dull **** does not **** much to say. *** is the least educated of *** guests. ********* she simply echoes a **** ****** earlier. Dull Gret reduces conversation to a ****** observation (“sad,” “potatoes,” “balls”). This humorously highlights the ******** of people to ***** words.
Lesley Sharp, who ********* Gret in the 1991 production, considered *** trauma **** character would **** **** ******* *** suggested that “Gret's ******* was *** that *** didn't **** anything to say, but that she had too much to say.”
However, **** the end of the scene, Gret makes the longest speech of *** party, describing the wartime ****** that motivated her to travel to **** *** fight with the grotesque devils. She **** *** terror of the Spanish army was worse than Hell, and describes the ******* deaths of two of *** ten children. This monologue ****** her to reclaim *** story and her identity, which *** previously been depicted by Bruegel as comical, greedy, shrewish *** without dignit
The specifics of ***** design, set, props, costumes, lighting, and sound in a production of Top Girls by Caryl Churchill *** vary ***** on *** director's vision, the theatre company's creative choices, and the ******* interpretation of the play. As a result, there is no definitive or ***** design for these elements. ***** **** always depend on the director’s vision *** ******* ** the play.
Tip: ** *** try to ‘study’ someone else’s ******** ******* in one of the many versions ** ‘*** Girls’ that have been staged. When candidates are asked on staging choices or ******** to create ***** *** staging (in 2025-2026), ***** ******* **** need to be their ******** ideas, and **** ** ***** ** the themes, ***** *** symbols ** the play.
***** *** play's non-linear structure and diverse settings, a flexible ***** design *** ** preferred. This allows for seamless *********** between different locations and time periods, e.g. *** restaurant, Joyce’s backyard, the agency office.
Similarly, the staging of Top Girls would benefit **** a *** design that could accommodate the play's numerous locations and shifts in time.
*** ******** Theatre's production of ‘Top Girls’ ******** the dinner scene in an expensive ******* restaurant with a dreamy, almost ethereal ******* backdrop. This may be linked ** the surreal influence ** this scene. The Top Girls agency reflected ***** styling and expensive furnishings, while Joyce’s ******* was **** rooted in a realist style, small and homely, reflecting the working-class inhabitants.
***** could be ****** ** ********* the various environments ** the play. *** example, office-******* ***** for the ********** agency, ******** items for **** scenes, and symbolic props *** the surreal dinner party.
******** could be designed to reflect *** diverse time periods and ********* backgrounds. Differentiating ******* ********** *** contemporary ****** is crucial, and costumes *** be chosen ** ********* each character's *********** *** social/***** status.
Lighting:
- ******* of *** play's non-linear ********* and ****** in **** *** space *** benefit from dynamic ******** design. Lighting changes *** help signal transitions between scenes and create a ******** engaging experience.
- Symbolic Lighting: Symbolic lighting cues might be used to enhance the ******* and *********** elements of the play, especially during *** dinner party scene. e.g. ** *** this in Gret’s monologue in the National Theatre production.
Remember, the specific ******* for stage ****** and technical elements **** depend on the director's interpretation, *** production team's creative vision, and the resources ********* to the theatre company. **** ** a ********** play - and Productions of Top Girls have the flexibility to ********** with these elements ** ****** a unique and ********* theatrical experience.
The following ********** ****** in the play, but some of these *** played ** the same actress, as the **** is ******** so that the characters can be multi-rolled.
|
Marlene |
******** Bird |
Lady Nijo |
Dull Gret |
|
Pope Joan |
Patient Griselda |
Waitress |
Joyce |
|
Angie |
Kit |
Mrs Kidd |
Win |
|
Nell |
Shona |
Louise |
Jeanine |
https://onbostonstages.blog/2018/04/30/a-dinner-party-for-the-ages-in-churchills-top-girls/
http://thesmallstage.weebly.com/blog/top-girls-with-renaissance-theaterworks
https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/theater/15ishe.html
MARLENE, the protagonist, can be classed as an example ** Thatcher’s ‘top woman’, someone who strives ** do better *** herself and make a ******* of her life, *** herself, ** herself.
She ** a high-ranking official ** *** *** ***** employment agency, a powerful individual, thanks to her smart and ******* nature. Marlene *** managed ** deceive her ********** and hides her working-class background, especially the fact that she has a daughter. ******* sacrificed a life with *** daughter and ****** to be successful in business and prove that women do not have to conform ** the ******* ** the patriarchy.
https://lucywritersplatform.com/2019/04/14/carolchurchills-top-girls-at-the-national-theatre/
******* of this Marlene does not **** many close friends, explaining why her celebratory dinner ** **** women **** historical periods of time. In Marlene ** see a woman *** ** ********** financially, but *** moral compass is questionable, and *** is socially inept and emotionally unavailable. Marlene has lost ***** **** empathy, neglecting her ****** ** her daughter, sister, family, and herself.
She sees *** world ****** in terms of success, shaped by the demands of a male-dominated society.
****** financially successful, Marlene is morally, socially, and *********** empty. Churchill uses ******* ** critique Thatcherism, warning ******* the ******* of prioritising economic success ***** all else.
https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/lifestyle/whats-on/theatre-top-girls- https://keegantheatre.com/portfolio/previous/ national-theatre/
At ********* points in Top Girls, Marlene can ** regarded as:
|
a heroine |
a cold tyrant |
a ‘man’ |
self-absorbed |
|
“I **** you’d be in charge ** everything,” gushes Angie in admiration. |
Joyce ********** ******* with, “I suppose you’d have ***** Hitler ** ** was a woman. Hitlerina.” |
A Top Girls employee explains why Marlene receives promotion, “Our Marlene’s got far more balls.” |
Joyce reprimands her sister, “I’m ashamed of you. Think of nothing but yourself.” |
|
“Your aunty’s a smashing bird,” a Top ***** employee tells Angie. |
Marlene: “**** ******* needs to stop whining.” |
****** Marlene, “I’ve been ** the pill ** long I’m ******** sterile.” |
“You could be married with twins for all I know,” ***** complains that Marlene is emotionally distant. |
|
Angie remembers the previous year when Marlene visited Suffolk. “That was the best day of ** ***** life.” |
Marlene: “Our mother had a ****** life because *** had nothing. Married to that bastard.” |
Marlene justifies why *** has been unable to maintain relationships **** men, “They’re waiting *** me ** turn into the ****** woman.” |
Marlene: “** *** ******* *** the way we changed *** ***** and our ************* achievements.” |
|
|
Marlene: “I hate the working class.” |
“You’** one of those ballbreakers.”
|
|
ISABELLA BIRD
https://www.japan.go.jp/kizuna/2021/12/discovering_japan_with_isabella_bird.ht https://keegantheatre.com/portfolio/previous ml /
ISABELLA BIRD ** a real-life, nineteenth-century Scottish explorer, writer and naturalist. She is the only character at the dinner party that never had any children. Isabella was an independent woman *** ****** happiness ******* her *** company and travels, rather than **** of a man. Churchill, by including Isabella, ***** *** motherhood has been regarded ********** history, as a burden. Unburdened ** the control of a man, Isabella was an optimist and always ***** her mind. Isabella *** **** ******* in ‘a man’s world’ with her travelling and adventures and can therefore be regarded as someone who is able to **** **** success without the **** of a man. ******* facing tragedies, ******** lived freely, engaging ** ************* male activities **** exploring and writing. Her presence serves as a ******** **** true success isn't solely measured by wealth or power. LADY NIJO
https://alumnaetheatre.wordpress.com/2019 https://www.facebook.com/nationaltheatre/photos/a.1015731
/01/04/top-girls-scandal-at-the-japanese- 1874799973/10157311875219973/?type=3 court-lady-nijo/
Lady Nijo is a real-life thirteenth-century concubine-turned-Vuddhist-nun. Lady Nijo was raised from ***** to live a life ** sexual service to the Emperor. Over the ***** Lady **** was subject ** sexual *** psychological abuse, and *** female children that she **** were taken away from her so that they, one day, would live the same life as ***** mother. At the dinner table Lady **** recalls the numerous times *** children were ****** from her, never to be seen again. She sometimes uses laughter ** hide her sadness. Churchill’s depiction of Lady Nijo shows how the ***** ******* *** those beneath them and how their lives are dictated to them ** *** ***** of patriarchal figures. Nijo is a character who, like Marlene, appreciates the trimmings **** connection ** ****** *** bring. Her dialogue in Act 1 is filled with references ** *** fine ******** *** *** **** by the emperor, or what she **** herself.
Nijo: Well I was only ******** *** I knew he ***** something but I didn’t **** what. ** **** ** ** eight-layered gown and I sent it back. So **** the time came I *** nothing but cry. ** thin gowns were badly ripped. But even **** ******* when he left – he’d a ***** **** **** a scarlet lining *** ******* Are *** saying he raped you? Nijo very heavily embroidered trousers.”...
“The Emperor Kameyana, on his ****** visit, I wore raw **** ******* trousers *** a seven-layered **** in shades ** red, *** two outer garments, / ****** lined with green and a light…***** jacket. Lady Betto had a five-layered gown in shades ** ***** *** purple.”
“The ******* had always been my enemy, Marlene, she said I had ** right to wear three-layered gowns. / But I *** the adopted daughter ** my *********** the Prime Minister. I had been publicly ******* ********** ** wear thin silk.” (Act 1)
Material ******** seem ** give Nijo emotional comfort as well as something tangible that *** can **** onto and find success in. She ******* numb to the horrors she ******* - rape, ***** ‘given’ to ***** men by the Empreor, having to give her ******** away. Only later, when drunk and faced **** Griselda’s ‘***** ending’ ** ******* her children back, do we see how deeply ******** Nijo is by what she *** endured. And yet, she *** *** ******** to forge her own path. After *** father’s death she respects his wishes to ‘take on **** orders’ but does this in her own way, becoming a Buddist Nun *** travelling extensively ** foot.
**** GRET
https://alumnaetheatre.wordpress.com/2019/01/ https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/theatre/top-girls-national-theatre-caryl03/top-girls-woman-storms-hell-dull-gret/ churchill-cast-past-present-a4104636.html
**** is the ******* ** ***** Griet, a ******* *********** ******** by Pieter Brueghel the Elder. In the sixteenth-century, ‘Griet’ was a derogatory **** given to any bad-tempered, coarse and vulgar woman. She is depicted ** an older ***** ******* typical housewife attire, long skirts and apron, accompanied by battle armour, ****** leading a group of women ** ******* Hell. ** *** painting Breugel ***** fun of ***** *** *** aggressive and unrefined. Dull Gret, depicted ** a painting as a greedy woman filling her skirts with **** and treasure, is ******** ** critique the sexist ********* and draw parallels between *** pursuit of power *** Marlene's. Churchill’s interpretation ** the painting differs from the artists, in that Churchill showcases Gret’s determination to stand up *** *** children, a comrade for women and a protector. Dull ** representative ** the working class, ****** ****** rather **** using words. ** *** *** ** *** ,1 Dull **** has an unexpected outburst. *** ********* ******** *** killing of two of *** children. This horror fuels her anger and motivates *** to lead the ******** of hell. She did so with ********** force to “*** the bastards out” and punish the devils which hurt her family. Her silence at the dinner ********* with this ********** of *** loss of her ******** in war, showing the depth of her suffering and her courage in ******** up to fight *** and avenge her children.
https://lucywritersplatform.com/2019/04/14/ carol-churchills-top-girls-at-the-nationaltheatre/
POPE JOAN ** somewhat of a legend in that there is no concrete evidence to suggest she existed. The legend goes that Pope Joan disguised herself as a man during the Middle Ages and eventually reigned as Pope *** two years ****** *** true identity was revealed. Pope **** was ***** hungry and ********* *** ********* for *** **** of success amongst men. *** convinced herself **** she *** a *** that she didn’t even realise she was ******** until *** gave birth during a ********* procession.
Both Joan and her **** were immediately carried away and stoned to death. Joan’s ***** echoes that of Marlene’s own pursuit to find worth in a ‘man’s world’, ** renouncing their femininity. ** *** ** the ***** of Joan’s baby and Angie’s ************ in the world, how this abandonment *** ********** their children.
PATIENT GRISELDA is a figure from European ******** and ** featured in the tales ** Chaucer and Boccaccio. *** is **** a ******* family who was selected to marry a handsome and wealthy Marquis.
She was whisked away from her ****** and ******* to live **** her husband who went to extreme lengths to test her obedience. He took both of ***** children away as a **** of *** love for him. In spite of this treatment she remained ***** to him. Churchill ********** the devastation, trauma and **** Griselda suffered all for a man’s pleasure and gain. ******* Griselda does not advocate for herself and does not want to ** an inconvenience. Even when it comes to ordering, Patient ******** **** orders dessert because the others are, and asks only for “cheese and biscuits.” (Act 1)
https://patricia1957.wordpress.com/tag/patientgrizelda/
JOYCE is Marlene’s older sister *** **** have **** different lifestyles. Joyce ****** Angie, Marlene’s daughter, as her own child, due to Marlene pursuing a career in London. Joyce *** ********** towards both Angie and ******* which is evident through the interactions she has with them.
Joyce: (***** Angie) “Rotten Little cunt!”
***** ** a proud woman, a salt of *** earth type who has a *** of dignity. She refuses money off ******* but is **** threatened **** ******* could take Angie back ** *** moment. Joyce isn’t ****** to ***** her mind, ****** Marlene who is keeping up appearances in order ** ‘succeed’ ** life. Ultimately, Joyce ********** the type ** woman that Thatcher’s ‘top woman’ steps on to get their *** way. In the class struggle, Joyce represents the “us” and Marlene the villainous “them.” Marlene’s choices had an ****** on *** Joyce ***** live her life, and what possibilities and opportunities would be made available to her.
Yet, Joyce is *** a victim. She has fought, working several jobs to provide for *** family, kicked out a husband **** a wandering *** and the battle ** wills and **** between Marlene and Joyce in *** 3, ***** how smart and ***** Joyce is. She is ********* a formidable opponent to Marlene *** ** *** presented with the possibility **** she too ***** have achieved great ******* ** she had not been **** to raise another woman’s child *** work to ******* *** family.
|
|
Do *** think ***** is the by-******* of Marlene’s ********* or could she have ended up like ******* too? |
ANGIE
Angie resents her ‘mother’ Joyce and advises *** ****** Kit **** *** ****** to kill her. Angie *** left school with ** ************** and is ********** to be ‘not clever’. She ** constantly berated by Joyce and **** ******* comments on her probable future, ******* “she’s a bit thick” and “packer ** Tesco more like” (Act 2). *********** that her ******** **** not ****** ‘anything worthwhile’ ****** her.
Angie is unaware ** ***** feelings from Marlene and idolises her aunty. She ** looking for ******** and love from Marlene but this **** materialises through *** gifts Angie receives ****** **** *** emotional ********** and love *** ** desperately craves. Churchill’s characterisation of Angie represents an abandoned child, ******** by her biological mother and resented by her ‘mum’. However, she also represents the ********* population of *** eighties thanks to Thatcher *** *** debilitating policies as well as the young people who will inherit a world ************ by ***** wars and the threat ** extinction (e.g. the nuclear fallout **** Kit *** Angie debate in Act 2). Angie's peculiar actions, aggressive tendencies, and **** of being abandoned reflect Churchill's frustrations with ******* ******* ** modern feminism. *** criticises the emphasis ** individualism and ************ over basic ******* and care for others, ***** are ***** considered weaknesses in a society dominated by men.
Angie represents the working-class society of Thatcher’s reign in 1980’s England. She represents a ********* class of people, ****** not ****** enough to fight for or provide ******** for. Angie drops out of school *** throughout the play, she ** rejected to cruel comments from *** family members, insinuating that someone from **** an impoverished ********** will never amount ** ‘anything’ in life. Just as Thatcher cut ties **** the working-class communities of England, to focus on more ************ endeavours **** ***** ****** the already wealthy, Marlene *** ***** resign themselves to *** fact that Angie will never be successful in life, *** she should settle to be someone’s wife, ******* will take her.
KIT
Kit, Angie's ****** and neighbour, despite being only twelve, is easily ***** into the ***** exchange of words and ******** ******* her *** Angie. **** mirrors the *** that the older characters, ************ in the ********** agency speak to one another without affection or even sometimes respect. Despite this, Kit seems compelled ** maintain her ********** with Angie, **** though she ****** criticises Angie's ********* and influence. However, Kit's loyalty ** Angie becomes ******* when ***** speaks *** ** Angie, prompting Kit to defend her.
WIN is *** of the employees ** the Top Girls Agency, under Marlene. *** ** engaged ** an affair with a married man *** ***** she can **** at ‘***** the wife’ and ******* to appreciate *** trappings ** a traditional home, commenting on the beautiful roses ** the gardens at *** lover’s home, this does not **** to be the end **** for her. We ***** at the end of *** 2 that Win has had several *** relationships, supporting her boyfriends *********** and **** *** *** married ********** to a man who was sent ** prison. Win seems more playful than **** *** treats ***** with ******** later ** *** Act when she arrives. She also appears more amused than ******* by Marlene’s ********* and success. Win is educated, clever *** has ambitions for her own future.
NELL is ******* employee at the Top Girls employment agency. She is happy **** Marlene got the ********* over Howard, *** she *** her own career ambitions and ***** **** to **** a job with ****** prospects. *** *** a boyfriend, Derek, who has ***** her to ***** him, but she doesn't know if she will accept: *** career ******* more important to her than *** **** of marriage. During the play, Nell conducts ** interview **** Shona, whom Nell believes might ** good for the Top Girls Agency. **** is disappointed ** ***** **** Shona has lied about ********** on her application.
JEANINE is a ***** ***** who visits the *** Girls ****** and is interviewed by Marlene. She is hoping to earn more money ** she is saving up *** a wedding, but she is also hoping to find **** **** excites her: she ** drawn to *********** ** something **** ****** ***** suggests she wishes ** forge *** *** identity as a successful ************* beyond wife *** motherhood. ******* ******* ******* prioritizing ****** **** work *** cautions her ********** her plans for marriage, as the *********** of having children could ******** her prospects of securing a job.
LOUISE, a woman interviewed at the Top Girls ********** Agency, ***** age discrimination in *** *** search. Despite her ***** of experience, Louise ***** overlooked *** frustrated by *** ******* of younger, less-experienced men. She reflects the deeply ****** patriarchal systems ** the workplace. She knows her ***** and knows that she will be missed **** *** ** gone.
SHONA is a young woman who comes for an interview at *** Top Girls Employment Agency with **** and lies about almost everything on her resume, exaggerating *** success and inflating *** age ** order to **** more worldly *** successful. She is, however, ***** seriously by Nell for the ***** few moments of the interview as she has adopted the cut-throat language *** sentiments ‘I’m not **** nice’, ‘I close’ that get respect at the agency - *** language ** the ‘new woman.’ Nell, for a moment, ****** she realises that Shona is lying, sees Shona ** ‘one ** them’ *** **** considers ******* her ** mind *** a potential position in the agency, ‘should something come up.’
MRS KIDD
Mrs. Kidd is *** wife ** Howard, the man who loses the Managing Director promotion, after ** **** to Marlene instead. Mrs. Kidd goes to Marelen’s ****** *** tries to convince Marelene ** **** down the promotion.
Mrs Kidd: “What’s it going to do for him working for a woman? I think if it *** a *** he’d get over it as ********* normal… It had crossed my **** that if you were unavailable after *** for some reason, he would ** the natural second choice I think, don’t you?” (Act 2)
Mrs. **** hopes Marlene will understand how **** it would hurt Howard's pride and livelihood. Her ***** ** Marlene’s refusal to ********* this idea reveals how Mrs Kid has taken on the patriarchal way ** thinking: Mrs Kidd: “You’re *** of those ball-breakers… You’re not natural.” We also understand *** to some extent, ** she has devoted *** life to the traditional role of a mother and wife and Howard’s losing *** promotion affects her own status and success.
https://www.thereviewshub.com/top-girls-the-national-theatre-london/
The **** dress that ***** receives off Marlene is representative of the **** difference between the *** ********** **** Marlene and Joyce *** Angie live. Angie is very proud ** her dress and ***** it ** a token of a ***** *** wishes to fulfil one day. She looks up to Marlene *** expresses *** desires to be just like her. Angie wears the ***** in Act Two, *** despite the dress being too small, it is a symbol ** power *** authority. This dress ********** a dominant female to Angie, *** she comments *** this is *** dress she will wear to kill her mother, confirming that *** is in control of her own destiny. It is also a *** to the non-linear structure, ** we *** Angie’s dress worn in *** 2, which is now too ***** for her. This was a gift from Marlene in *** 3, when ******* seemed more ********** in Angie’s life and future. In Act 2, which we know occurs a year ***** Act 3, Angie has outgrown her dress in the **** way that Marlene *** outgrown and abandoned *** own family.
https://lucywritersplatform.com/2019/04/14/car ol-churchills-top-girls-at-the-national-theatre/
The characters ** the restaurant scene ** Act *** *** all dressed in *********** clothing for ***** historical period. Each character’s clothing ** symbolic ** their role in society. **** **** comments ********** on how important dress ** to status, especially with the Emperor. Dull Gret portrays a woman in typical ***** wear but with *** added ****** armour to symbolise *** rather humble background mixed **** the desire ** ******* *** ****** her children. Patient Griselda presents a ****** of a woman who is well ****** after and someone who place high importance on ********** and material wealth. Marlene is dressed in a typical big shouldered, padded, figure ******* ***** that shows off her feminine ******** but also grand stature, a woman not to ** messed with. In contrast ** this we see Joyce ** dull, oversized clothes with ******** layers. **** ***** refer to *** perception she has ** herself, when it ***** to being a single parent, having to **** ** the roles of both ****** *** father but also, *** ** her *** income not being able ** ****** *** finer things or even **** ********** ** heating.
** Top Girls, Marlene's pursuit ** power *** success ***** the ******* theme of the play, reflecting broader ******** tensions during the Thatcher era.
As a successful businesswoman, Marlene embodies *** ****** of individualism and ambition promoted by Thatcherism, ***** **** the individual against larger society.
https://www.everymanplayhouse.com/whats-more/top-girls-production-photos
Churchill uses Marlene's character to ******* *** consequences of prioritizing shallow notions ** success rooted ****** in financial or sociopolitical gain, ********** suggesting that such ******** **** to disappointment. Marlene's ******* at her employment agency, Top Girls, highlights the conflict between ******** achievement and ******* responsibility, as she becomes condescending *** cruel towards others, ********* her own family members.
|
• |
Marlene: "You **** **** you have to do if you **** to succeed, don't you? You **** to be **** **** and beat **** at their own game." |
|
• |
Marlene: "I’m *** some frightened peasant, I’** **** something **** my life. I’m *** scared of anybody ** anything." |
|
• |
Marlene: "I'm not ***** back ** bloody working-class roots. I'm ***** ** be someone." |
|
• |
Angie: "*** always ***** you're on *** of everything. You don't know what it's like *** ***** people." |
|
• |
Joyce: "*** and your type. You're on **** own. You think it's clever. *** you're not going to have anywhere ** run to in the end." |
|
• |
Marlene: "** never had any help. That’s *** we have to look after ourselves now." |
The play ********* conventional notions of success *** power, *********** *** **** that financial independence and professional *********** equate to fulfillment. Marlene's aloof ******** and disregard *** empathy and intuition reflect the sacrifices she has made to ******** the maledominated ***** of business. Her failure as a mother, particularly evident ** her strained relationship with her ****** ***** and *** biological daughter Angie, underscores *** ***** cost of prioritizing individual success over ******** and communal bonds. Churchill ********* the effects of Thatcherism and *** pursuit of individual success ** the expense of decency and support *** others, suggesting **** true success requires empathy, compassion, and a ***** ** ******** responsibility.
Through Marlene's character, Churchill highlights the inherent failures of a society that values ************* above all else.
** Top Girls, sisterhood and solidarity are ****** **** run ******** ** *** *********** ** power, success, and individualism. While ******* embodies the pursuit of personal achievement and independence, other characters in *** **** represent different facets ** female experience and relationships, emphasizing the importance of sisterhood and solidarity in the face ** ******** pressures and ********** aspirations.
One aspect ** ********** in the play is evident in the ************* ******* women who support and uplift each ***** despite their differences. Characters like Marlene, Joyce, and Angie ******** complex ******** of sisterhood, ********* with their shared history, familial bonds, and conflicting ******* for autonomy *** connection. Despite ***** ************* and misunderstandings, these ********** ********** share a sense ** loyalty and solidarity rooted ** their shared experiences as women ** a patriarchal society.
Additionally, the play explores the **** ** sisterhood as a form ** ********** resistance against oppressive power structures. Through ********** like the historical and fictional ***** in *** opening scene, who gather for a ****** party to share ***** ******* of struggle *** resilience, Churchill highlights *** strength and ********** of women *** unite in ********** against injustice. This sense of sisterhood extends beyond individual relationships to encompass ******* ********* for social change, emphasizing *** ********** of collective action and mutual ******* in challenging systemic inequalities.
|
• |
Marlene: "We should support **** other more, not criticize." |
|
• |
Joyce: "We were supposed to stick together, weren't we? That's **** we were told." |
|
• |
Isabella: "It’s funny to ** ******* **** this, all of ** here. You’d think we’d be talking about something really serious." |
|
• |
Nell: "We’re *** in the **** boat." |
|
• |
Angie: "We’re sisters, aren’t we? That’s **** you said." |
|
• |
Lady Nijo: "We were girls together." |
|
• |
Dull Gret: "We'** the same, aren't we?" |
Moreover, sisterhood in Top Girls is portrayed as a ****** ** *********** and validation for women who **** strength in their connections with one another. Characters **** Angie, who seeks guidance and mentorship from ***** like ******* and Joyce, illustrate the ************** power of sisterhood in nurturing self-confidence and self-awareness. Through their interactions and exchanges, these characters forge ***** of sisterhood that transcend traditional notions ** family *** kinship, offering a vision of solidarity rooted in shared experiences and mutual respect.
Overall, sisterhood and solidarity in Top Girls ***** ** ************* to the individualism and *********** promoted by *********** and capitalist ideologies. ******* its exploration of female relationships and collective resistance, the play celebrates *** resilience, strength, and ********** of women who come together in solidarity to confront the ********** ** patriarchy *** oppression.
Women's stories ** a central theme in Top Girls, focusing ** the diverse experiences and struggles of ***** throughout history. Through the ********* opening scene, where Marlene hosts a dinner ***** **** ***** **** various time periods, the **** explores *** patriarchy has impacted and often ******* women's lives. These stories, spanning different cultures and contexts, highlight the pervasive ********* ** patriarchal power ********** and the challenges women face ** asserting their identity and authenticity.
https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/08/theater/reviews/08girl.html
Churchill **** *** characters' narratives to ********** *** ********** of women's identities *** *** ways in which societal expectations ***** their sense of self. From Lady Nijo's experience as a concubine-turned-nun to Patient Griselda's ********* to *** husband's whims, these stories ****** the struggles women face ** navigating patriarchal ***** and asserting their agency. Marlene's initial ****** **** her success ******* her from patriarchal constraints ** challenged as she confronts the realities of women's lives across different historical periods.
*** theme of women's stories ********** with the broader exploration of identity and authenticity in the play. Marlene's journey to success in a male-dominated world reflects the tension between conforming to ******** expectations *** ********* one's true self. The ******* ********** shared at the dinner party ***** as a reminder of the multifaceted nature of women's experiences *** the importance of authentic self-expression ** ********* patriarchal oppression. Through the characters' stories, Top Girls explores the complexities ** identity and the ways in which women assert their agency and autonomy in the face of societal constraints.
Class and social mobility are prominent themes in Top Girls, reflecting the socio-******** *********** *** ************ of Thatcherite Britain.
The **** examines *** challenges faced by working-class ***** like Angie and Jeanine as they strive for upward mobility ** a ******* **** often ********** wealth and status.
******** Theatre: Top *****
Additionally, characters **** Marlene embody the tensions between ********** success and collective solidarity, highlighting the complexities of class ******** *** the ***** of ******** in a capitalist society.
Churchill ******** *** ************ of carving out a life ****** a patriarchal society. The dreamlike opening scene, ***** Marlene hosts a ****** ***** with women **** ********* historical periods and ***** of life, underscores how patriarchy has affected and ***** ruined women's ***** throughout history. ********* argues that patriarchal rule is deeply ingrained, ****** it difficult to ******* **** outside of its confines, even in twentieth-century London. ******* the stories shared at *** dinner party, Churchill illustrates *** ********* ways in ***** patriarchy controls women's lives, suggesting that **** liberation requires ******** **** from its constraints.
The women's ***** reveal the claustrophobia ** patriarchy, from Lady Nijo's upbringing as a man's plaything to Patient Griselda's *********** of her *** needs to please her husband. Even Pope Joan, *** passed ******* off as a man to **** ** Pope, ultimately faced stoning for her deception. These ******* resonate with Marlene, *********** *** initial belief that her success ******* her from *********** constraints. When Mrs. Kidd, a ***** dedicated to her husband's success, pleads **** Marlene ** forfeit her promotion, Marlene realizes that even in *** professional triumphs, she's not immune ** patriarchy's influence.
Mrs. Kidd: "You're a ballbreaker, that's **** you are. And unnatural."
********* exposes how ********** perpetuates itself ******* internalized beliefs and ******** norms. Mrs. Kidd's beratement of ******* as a "ballbreaker" ******** her *** internalized patriarchy, believing that ********** rather than resistance brings comfort. Marlene's realization **** ******* ** a man's world doesn't ******** her **** patriarchy's confines underscores the pervasive nature of *********** oppression. Despite Marlene's ********* triumphs, Churchill suggests that the dread, fear, *** insufficiency induced by patriarchy persist, revealing *** limitations of success within a *********** framework.
In Top Girls, motherhood is ********* as an insufferable burden ****** a patriarchal society, exemplified by Marlene's rejection of traditional maternal roles. Churchill explores diverse ******** ** and ******* motherhood, ********** that patriarchal norms frame motherhood primarily as a hindrance to women's advancement. The story of Marlene, *** asks *** sister Joyce to raise her daughter, Angie, highlights the disconnect from motherhood ** a source of joy ** privilege, ******* to complicated relationships and ******* consequences.
|
• |
Marlene: "Motherhood! Don’t talk to ** ***** motherhood. It’s boring." |
|
• |
Joyce: "I had a miscarriage." |
|
• |
Marlene: "I’** *** two abortions." |
The theme of motherhood ********** with *** ******* exploration of identity and authenticity in the play. Angie's realization of *** true parentage *** her ****** *** recognition **** Marlene ********** the complexities of maternal relationships and the ****** for belonging. Marlene's assessment of Angie's viability in the ********* world reflects her own detachment **** traditional feminine responsibilities, ******* ********** National Theatre: Top Girls solely as a burden **** inhibits success.
In the final scene, tensions between Marlene and Joyce escalate over their differing ********* towards motherhood. Marlene's disdain *** traditional femininity *** motherhood ********* **** Joyce's ***** of duty and loss, ************ the devaluation of ******** roles within patriarchal structures.
Churchill’s ******** that motherhood within a *********** world can **** ever be a burden ** a bleak one, and yet she does not shy **** from using her characters to demonstrate just how ******* the ***** *** historically treated mothers. Angie’s desire for ********* against the two mothers who have seen her, in their own ways, as a burden is symbolic of Churchill’s *** despair over the **** that, ** light of Thatcherism and patriarchal values, motherhood is often seen as something ************ *** ********** rather than an expression of strength, devotion, and care.
"Maybe all *** can ** is hope to end ** **** the right regrets."
- Arthur Miller
This quote encapsulates the idea **** theatre, through its exploration of human experiences, emotions, and dilemmas, offers ********* *** opportunity ** confront and reflect on their *** lives, choices, and regrets. It ******** **** theatre *** the power to provoke ************* *** empathy, making it a vital *** ******** art **** that ********* ** ******** with audiences across **** *** culture. ******* that delves into *********** human themes will always be universally relevant. Even though the **** is written and set ** 1982, many of *** issues ******** in the play, though different, have not **** resolved by modern society. The **** remains relevant to modern audiences for its ******** of gender inequality, its exploration of ******** and diversity, its ********** ** corporate culture and ambition, *** examination of ****** dynamics and relationships, and its innovative ********** techniques. By addressing these
themes *** ****** with intelligence, wit, and artistic flair, *** Girls continues to resonate with audiences as a timeless and provocative work of theatre.
National Theatre: Top Girls
"Feminism." ******** Encyclopedia ** Philosophy. ******** ******* 15, 2024.
"**** Waves of Feminism." ******** Women's History Museum. Accessed January 15, 2024.
"Types ** Feminism: A Comprehensive Guide." Owlcation. Accessed ******* 15, 2024.
Anzaldúa, Gloria. Borderlands/La Frontera: *** New Mestiza. San Francisco: Aunt Lute Books, 1987.
Beauvoir, Simone de. The ****** Sex. ********** by H.M. Parshley. New York: Vintage Books, 1989.
Butler, Judith. "Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology *** ******** Theory." Theatre Journal 40, no. 4 (1988): 519-531.
Cengage, G. “*** Girls E Notes”,1998-2000
Ciro, Joan, et al. Via Afrika: Dramatic **** Textbook. *** Afrika. 2016 Churchill, Caryl. Top Girls. London: Methuen Drama, 1982.
Davis, ****** Y. Women, Race & Class. New York: Vintage Books, 1983.
Ehrenreich, Barbara. "*** Hearts of Men." The New York Times Magazine, ***** 5, 1989.
Federici, Silvia. Caliban and the Witch: Women, *** Body, and ********* Accumulation. Brooklyn: Autonomedia, 2004.
Firestone, Shulamith. The Dialectic of Sex: *** Case *** ******** Revolution. *** York: Bantam Books, 1970.
Fraser, Nancy. "Feminism, Capitalism, and the Cunning ** History." New Left Review 56 (2009): 97117.
Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique. *** York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1963.
Hooks, bell. Ain't I a Woman: ***** Women and Feminism. Boston: South End Press, 1981.
Miller, Arthur. The Portable ****** Miller. ****** ** Christopher Bigsby. *** York: Penguin Books, 2003.
Tanner, Alexandra. "Top Girls." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 31 Aug 2018. Web. 18 *** 2019.
Tyler, A “Top Girls: Modern Theatre Guides.” Continuum, 2018.
********* October 18, 2019. https://www.litcharts.com/lit/top-girls.
Yang, T. “Analysis ** ***** Churchill’s Feminism Deconstruction on Top Girls”. ******** ****** of Science and Education, 2019
Additional ******* Guides:
Top Girls Study Guide: ******** by ****** Skelley (Rustenburg Girls School)
Top Girls ***** Guide: Compiled ** Daniella Jali (Curro)
Converted to HTML **** WordToHTML.net